Early morning fire guts Lexington home

LEXINGTON, Ky. --Neighbors and friends came by the home on Kingtree Drive on Lexington's north side to see the damage to John and Shirley Chenault's home for themselves.

"When she called me to tell me her house burned down, I am trying to tell her that everything happens for a reason," explained Vickie Creath, who has been a close friend of Shirley's for forty years. "She said her home is gone---her house is gone!"

Creath says the Chenaults have lived in the home almost as long as they've been friends.

Firefighters say John Chenault, who's in his late 60's, was sleeping on a couch in the basement. Investigators say he woke up when the space heater nearby started the fire. Officials say he ran upstairs to the bedroom where his wife, Shirley was sleeping.

"The first thing you start thinking of is how was John? How is the family?" James Lucerno, who lives across the street, said.

Lucerno says he woke up around 2:30 this morning as fire crews arrived.

"I could just see it billowing from up there," he explained as he pointed at the roofline of the home.

Officials told us that they received the call reporting the fire at 2:28 AM on Saturday morning. The fire quickly engulfed the house. They told us the inside of the house was "pretty much gutted" when they managed to contain the fire.

"they are going to be alright," Creath commented as she left the scene. She tells WKYT that the couple has a lot of family in Lexington and will have a place to stay.

Firefighters say the Chenaults were taken to the hospital to be checked out, but are expected to be fine.

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